Ashley Smith-Roberts is a licensed attorney who focuses on issues of mining, minerals, and global supply chains. She is an ESG & minerals sustainability expert, including specialising in the value chains of battery minerals and other materials needed for the green energy transition.
At Levin Sources, Ashley works across multiple business functions, including the Responsible Sourcing Team and the Responsible Raw Materials Team. Ashley works with both public and private clients, from industry associations to global telecommunications firms to electronics manufacturers, to help them prepare for compliance with due diligence regulatory frameworks, including the forthcoming EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, the EU Batteries Directive, and the U.S. SEC Rule on “Conflict Minerals”. She is an expert in mining standards for sustainability, including co-authoring international responsible sourcing standards for minerals and metals. Ashley has worked closely with several institutions benchmarking their voluntary standards against the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and/or the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, among others.
Ashley has worked as one of the chief technicians for the Global Battery Alliance’s (GBA) Battery Passport, which was unveiled to the public at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos in 2023. The GBA is the world’s largest multi-stakeholder organisation with the goal of establishing a sustainable, circular and responsible battery value chain by 2030.
Ashley has collaborated with lawyers and other professionals across the globe to evaluate trends in global supply chains and supplier management, written white papers on international trade and sustainable development, and has authored an International Bar Association publication on artisanal and small-scale mining and the gold supply chain in Peru and elsewhere. Ashley has contributed to assessments for leading international mining standards as well as international guidance documents for government stakeholders to improve their legal frameworks and management of environmental and social impacts in the mining sector.
Prior to joining Levin Sources, Ashley worked as Senior Director of an independent, nonprofit research institute advancing best practices for sustainable management of renewable energy and natural resources. There, she managed research on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and global mineral supply chains; mining, renewable energy, and sustainable development; and investment and ESG frameworks of the mining, minerals, and metals sector. Ashley has contributed to a textbook on international trade and labor law, with in-depth analysis of how labor laws affect global supply chains via international trade. She has experience exploring the rights and roles of communities affected by natural resource development, including Indigenous communities, and has served as adjunct law faculty teaching a course on mining and community engagement in the United States.
Ashley received her LL.M. (Distinction) in International Business and Economic Law from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC, with a Certificate in World Trade Organization & International Trade Studies. There, she specialized in European Union law and also topics concerning sustainable development, business and human rights, and corporate social responsibility. She received her J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where she received an award for scholastic excellence for her work in international trade and sustainable development. Ashley holds a university degree in journalism and editing. Ashley is experienced in multiple international frameworks related to sustainability assessments, and she holds a certificate in Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Standards. Before becoming an attorney, Ashley spent time working for the government in the state of Colorado, USA, and she also has experience at government and nonprofit policy research agencies in Washington, DC.
Ashley works in English and speaks Intermediate-level French. Follow her on Twitter at @AshleyS_Roberts.
